This invention is directed to polygon box tools and more particularly to a polygon box tool which may be used for simultaneous boring and turning operations for the purpose of shaping a work piece on the outside and inside simultaneously, or turning two different contours outside simultaneously.
This invention pertains to a cam operated polygon box tool in which the cam has two grooves in the cam face for simultaneously controlling two different tools. The device may produce multi-sided configured surfaces on the outside and inside of the work piece so that the work piece is finished in one operation.
It is well known that many parts used in industry are made of bar stock and turned to shape and size before cutting off in an Automatic Screw Machine. This is done because these machines have 4-6 or 8 spindles and may be performing the operations of drilling, tapping, reaming, turning, forming, etc. simultaneously thus producing work pieces at low cost.
Very often these parts need additional milling or contouring operations to complete the work piece and this is done as a secondary operation, such as milling a flat, etc. on a conventional milling machine. This secondary operation often takes more time than the first Automatic Screw Machine operation and is expensive.
Some attempts to finish the work pieces complete on the Automatic Screw Machines by using Polygon Box Tools to turn flats, contours, etc. have been made. These tools such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,813,969 have been made with heavy reciprocating parts and the whole operation has been slowed to the speed at which the Polygon Box Tools would operate.
The results have been fewer parts completely machined, thus showing little overall savings. This invention is an improvement over U.S. Pat. No. 3,813,969 and overcomes the drawbacks found in the patented device and which permits operation of the polygon box tool at the desired speed of the driving machine such as a screw machine.
Additionally, polygon box tools have been provided in which the cam used to actuate the reciprocating parts has been a simple cam including two separate grooves for receipt of two separate cam follower pins.